This week, Nestlé employees joined forces for a clean-up event in York as part of this year’s Great British Spring Clean, the nation’s biggest litter pick. The event allowed Nestlé UK employees to use their volunteering days to take part; with our team collecting 30 bags of litter, including a bike basket, an alloy wheel and even the bumper of a car.
The Great British Spring Clean, organised by Keep Britain Tidy, runs from 13th - 29th March. Nestlé has been a proud sponsor for six years, supporting its ambition that none of its packaging waste ends up as landfill or litter. Through the partnership, Nestlé contributed to funding the campaign, hosted the organised clean-up event in York and encouraged its employees to pledge volunteer time to litter picking.
In 2025, 63 Nestlé colleagues pledged to pick 87 bags of litter and dedicated over 400 hours to litter picking - and this year we’re on track to surpass that.
Sarah Drakes, Sustainability Manager for Nestlé Confectionery, said: “Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean is a great initiative that I have proudly supported since Nestlé first became a sponsor. It's exciting to see so many of my colleagues pledge their volunteering hours to ensure their local areas, and the areas around our UK sites, are kept clean and litter free.
The York litter pick event has become a staple in our calendars every year, and it was wonderful to see how many York employees showed up to help clean up the Foss Islands Cycle Path near our office and factory.”
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Nestlé has been a valued partner with us on the Great British Spring Clean since 2021, demonstrating its dedication to reducing litter, as well as its commitment to helping local communities. We are pleased to see so many Nestlé employees get involved, both where they live and work.”
Keep Britain Tidy is encouraging more people than ever before to support the initiative. In 2025, approximately 340,000 volunteers across the country collected over 460,000 bags of litter from streets and parks across the country, highlighting the campaign’s significant impact.
